Originally published on May 2, 2022 (Episode 262)
Introduction
In 1835, a young French author on the verge of publishing his first book wrote: “the best thing that can happen to me is if no one read my book, and I have not yet lost hope that this happiness will be mine.” Alexis de Tocqueville’s hopes were not fulfilled. Although the first printing was just 500 copies, Democracy in America almost immediately made him an intellectual celebrity. Hearing people talk about the book, Tocqueville marveled whether “they are really talking about me.”
In his new biography The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022), Olivier Zunz argues that Tocqueville was a passionate advocate for democracy, convinced it was the only system that could provide both liberty and equality. He pursued this conviction both as a scholar and as a politician—dying at a moment when it seemed the experiment he cherished was faltering in both France and America.
This is the first of two conversations. Today, Zunz and I discuss Tocqueville’s family background, his early life and intellectual development, his failed attempt at a legal career, and his famous journey to the young United States. We end at the moment of Tocqueville’s sudden rise to intellectual celebrity, with the publication of the first volume of Democracy in America.
About the Guest
Olivier Zunz is James Madison Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Virginia. His books include The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022) and Philanthropy in America: A History (Princeton University Press, 2012). He has edited the Library of America edition of Democracy in America, as well as Tocqueville’s Recollections: The French Revolution of 1848 and Its Aftermath and Alexis de Tocqueville and Gustave de Beaumont in America: Their Friendship and Their Travels, all in collaboration with the translator Arthur Goldhammer. He has also co-edited The Tocqueville Reader: A Life in Letters and Politics.
For Further Investigation
Olivier Zunz, The Man Who Understood Democracy: A Life of Alexis de Tocqueville (Princeton University Press, 2022)
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, translated by Arthur Goldhammer,
edited by Olivier Zunz (Library of America)
Arthur Goldhammer, “Alexis de Tocqueville collaboration results in long-running partnership—and now, a special seminar”
Eduardo Nolla (ed.), Democracy in America – benchmark historical-critical edition
💬 Listen & Discuss
Was Tocqueville’s vision of democracy as liberty and equality prophetic—or flawed from the beginning? What can his early journey to America teach us about how outsiders perceive the United States? Share your reflections in the comments, and pass this episode along to anyone who has wrestled with Democracy in America.
